Too Great a Second Chance
by 13th Death
Summary: After dying in the battle for Tazuna, Zabuza and Haku pass on as Plus souls. However, Zabuza again fails to save Haku... But he is then offered redemption for his past life. But will the weight of his past, combined with the burden of the future prove too much? If it does, he'll probably just slice it to pieces.
1. Prologue

**Too Great a Second Chance**

 **This is the story of a man, a man who had lost everything**

 **It is also about how he got back everything he could**

 **Unfortunately, this was not much**

 **And a lot of people died in the process**

 **This is the story...**

 **Of Zabuza Momochi's death**

As night fell on Wave Country, the cold wind increased in intensity. The ground was still caked in a thin layer of snow from a freak weather incident. The snow was particularly thick in a small, secluded clearing deep within the woods. In the clearings center was the top half of a rather large sword. The Kubikiribōchō. One of the last of the Seven Blades of Kiri who still had a master. Or at least it did... The day before, the blades owner Zabuza Momochi was killed, sacrificing himself to avenge Haku, his apprentice. He died as he lived: killing lots of people while suffering grievous bodily harm himself. With his dying breath, he wished to enter the same afterlife add his beloved student. Now...

"Zabuza-sensei, what exactly are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know Haku, I personally have never died before."

"It's just we've been sitting around here and nothing's happened."

"Well Haku, unlike me, you have nothing to stop you from actually doing anything. So why don't you see if you can find any other spirits to find out what the hell is going on."

"Okay, Zabuza-sensei." Haku left the clearing with barely a sound, his ethereal get not really touching the snow. Zabuza was indeed restricted; the odd chain coming out of his chest was wrapped tightly around the

Kubikiribōchō, while Haku's simply hung from his torso. Both Zabuza and his apprentice had tried to break the chain, but this not only caused Zabuza gear pain, but also achieved nothing.

 _Where did it all go wrong_ Zabuza pondered to himself. He should have known that dammed Kakashi would have a backup for being blinded, and yet he hadn't even consisted the thought. _If I had, both me and Haku might still be alive_. Suddenly, a huge crash sounded from the forest. This was followed by an effeminate cry. "Haku!" Zabuza roared. Dammit if he didn't know his student's voice. _Damn, I can't even move_. Zabuza was forced to pace in front of Kubikiribōchō, his former symbol of power now served only to mock him. Roars and screams continued to reverberate through the jungle until... it stopped with a squelch.

 _No. Killed after death? What is going on here?_ Before Zabuza could continue his musings, a low tremor began, accompanied by the sound of shaking trees. With the sound of dry twigs snapping, a horrifying monster busy into the clearing. By now, Zabuza was trying to grab his sword, but found he could not even touch it, let alone dislodge it from its resting place. "You...killed Haku. I don't know what you are and I don't care. All I know is that you're going to fucking **die**!" His last word came out as an explosion, his body suddenly wreathed in the familiar purple embrace of his demon shroud.

 _Huh. Me and Haku both tried using Chakra and it didn't work. So why can I still use this... Curious._ Newly energized, Zabuza lashed out at the beast with his first, stopping it in its tracks. _Hmmm. Let me try something._ With that thought, Zabuza reached for the Kubikiribōchō once more. This time, his hands wrapped around the blade and found purchase. With a single pull, he wrenched the blade free, wrapped it within his demon shroud, and hurled straight towards the beasts bony face. With a squelch, the sword buried itself deep within the monster's skull. The monster gave out a low croak, and then burst into a shower of blue light. _What...the actual hell...just happened._

"My my, aren't you an interesting case." Zabuza turned to see txxhe source of the voice. Behind him was a woman with long, flowing black hair, dressed in black robes with a white haori. "For a plus you have quite the fight in you. In fact, if we were in the Soul Society, I'd probably attack you right now. Oh, but where are my manners. I am Yachiru Unohana, captain of Squad Eleven of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Who, pray tell, are you?"


	2. Zaraki

**Too Great a Second Chance**

Zabuza slowly rose from his bed. Though calling it a bed was quite generous, it was all he had to sleep on since coming to the Soul Society. How long had he been here? Weeks, months, years? This place messed with people's perception of time, you hardly tell a minute from several days sometimes. Strangely, he couldn't remember anything else. From what the people he had met said, this place was the afterlife of the real world, and that when people came here their memories were wiped so they would conform to the existing society. While that made him more than angry, he didn't have any better ideas, likely thanks to the memory wipe. It was odd. Zabuza had a sense of self…but not the memories to make sense of himself. He had taken up the position of the towns butcher, as their previous butcher had a less than beneficial encounter with one of the local gangs, and he was now in a state less than fitted to cutting meat. Zabuza himself had begun to develop a reputation among said gangs. When a "representative" had been sent to secure the first installment of "protection" money, he had promptly beaten the man until he ran from the shop, shrieking curses and promises of retribution. He had been visited by several similar men, with their meetings all ending about the same. Currently, Zabuza was preparing to close up for the night, with everything already put up. All that was to finish sharpening his cleaver so it would be ready for the next day. As he continued to muse over his memory free existence, his door creaked open.

"So Hachirō, this the bastard who didn't pay, yeah?"

"Yeah, and he hit me with a surprise attack to. Come on chief, let me at 'im, I'll tear him apa-"

"You've done enough. So, you think you're tough, huh? Think you don't need protection?" Zabuza remained quiet, still sharpening his cleaver. The one speaking was obviously in charge. From the way he spoke, how he carried himself…also, while all the other thugs brandished knives and clubs, the front man was holding an actual katana with as if it was perfectly normal and casual. "So _silent_ as well as _tough_ , huh? That's cool. Great even. Look, we don't want any trouble. All we're here for is to look after our little community's newest addition. See, these thugs have been attacking local businesses. They're all from out of town, of course, and we, being concerned citizens, wanted to help our community." Ah. One of the smarter bastards. They thought they were in total control, and often times they were.

"Look kid, I "appreciate" what you're doing," Zabuza replied, "but trust me when I tell you I don't need protection. So, you, being smart, are going to get your smart-ass bitch of a self out of my shop. We clear?" Well. That had made them quite agitated. One of the group was already stomping towards Zabuza, and was violently brandishing his knife toward him while speaking a stream of obscenities. The lead man just let it happen, looking on with a smile of amusement across his face. That, however, was not when it went downhill. It went downhill when Zabuza proceeded to slice a rather large gash into the throat of the advancing thug with his cleaver.

Blood flew in a spatter, following the arc of Zabuza's strike. The stricken man was already crumpling towards the floor. Zabuza simply wiped the cleaver off and returned to sharpening it. After a moment, he paused, and looked up at the now frozen collection of browbeaters.

"What? Never seen a man's whole throat taken out? What is this, your first day extorting people? You have to be ready to use those pieces of shit you call weapons, especially when the target is currently holding a sharpened cleaver and has a longer reach than you." With the group still visibly shocked, Zabuza continued. "Oh, was that the first guy you actually lost? I guess that means you don't actually compete with the other guys, huh? You lot are just bottom feeders. Bright eyes over there probably had this grand idea of using the fear from the heavy gang presence to make a little extra cash. Well, you're now down a guy and in the presence of an actual murderer. So, what's your play now, kiddies? Are you gonna see if you can swing faster than me? Or can I expect your pansy asses out my shop within the next five minutes so I can close up?"

"You…son of a bitch. This would all be fine if you had just handed the money over. But now…now I have to kill you." This came from the lead man, has face visibly darkened by what he had just witnessed. "I'm gonna tear you apart. When I'm through with you, this whole city is gonna know that we mean business."

"Boss, I'm not so sure…"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! He just murdered Fuijo right in front of us! And we…we just let it happen. Now let's redeem ourselves and end this godforsaken piece of horseshit."

"Well, if you kids want to try, who am I to stop you…"

By morning, the group of six were all hanging from the front of his shop. They had been separated into neat pieces, and slapped to the wall beneath them was a warning, written in blood on butcher paper that he would do the same to anyone else who attempted to collect money for "protection." By the end of the week, half of the gang members in the surrounding area had joined the first group on his building. By the end of the month, crime had almost totally disappeared in the town, and by years end, being a criminal presence had dropped throughout the whole district, solely out of fear.

"Seriously? You expect me to believe that all of your business was cut off by one guy? A newbie no less? Come on, Genzo. I'm not stupid. Even if there was anyone in the whole of the Rukongai who could hold off the entirety of crime in a whole district, it wouldn't be in Kimura, one of the 80th levels, and it definitely wouldn't be a newbie. They barely have enough Reiatsu to physically exist in the Soul Society. People have to have lived here for decades before they can physically act in any sense. Stop bullshitting me and fork over the cash."

"You don't understand, it's true! He's slaughtered dozens of whole gangs! He's probably killed more than a hundred people. And he doesn't just kill them! He's fucked up in the head, so he chops them up. He chops them to fucking pieces! And the he hangs what's left up in bags and says "Just try me," and he just doesn't stop! He hasn't spared a single damn person."

"Yeah, whatever. I call bullshit. Only exceptionally strong Soul Reapers like me could possibly do something like that. What's really going on?"

"I'm not lying, I swear! I wouldn't come here if I was. Look, this guy is some kind of monster and needs to be handled. But none of us can do it, and trust me when I till you that the best tried. And now they're all dead. So, all we need to do is ice this son of a bitch and we could seize all the crime in the district. Think about that! We could be getting all the crime money from an 80th district, and all you have to do is kill this one fucker. Come on, throw me a bone here man."

"All right," said Keiichi Wakahisa, 12th Seat of 11th Division. "If I can get tons of cash, who am I to complain? And he might turn out to be a better fight than most of you Rukon trash. I might bring along some friends, so we can have a little game."

The people of Kimura weren't quite sure what to think of Zabuza "The Butcher" Momochi. He had showed up, like all other newcomers, and had begun to work for the local butcher. When that butcher didn't pay the gangs, he was killed, and Zabuza took over his location. That wasn't out of the ordinary, it had happened dozens of times in the last decade alone. What was surprising is that said newcomer, too new to tell how long he'd even been here, was capable of scaring the entire district off of crime in only year. Kimura, as an 80th district, had been crime filled as far as anyone could remember, for hundreds of years of thousands of years, since the early days of the Soul society, since before the Gotei Thirteen. With nothing but a cleaver, this man had changed the course of basic fact. Not that he didn't look the part. He was tall, at six foot four taller than most people in the district. He was well built and had a look in his eye that instantly made you uneasy, and told you to leave as soon as possible. He always wore a sanitation mask, rubber gloves, and a rubber apron, looking like the scariest, most blood covered doctor you'd ever seen. He spoke with a gruff voice in short sentences. He always paid the proper price, sometimes with a generous tip. He was fairly menacing, but he only seemed truly scary when you heard about what he did. When you heard that he had killed and mutilated over one hundred men. You almost didn't believe it. After all, you didn't see the bags hanging from his roof anymore. It was almost like a dream… But you couldn't really deny it. When you looked at him, talked to him, watched him work, you knew he had done all those things. It hung around him like a cloak, a cloak of hatred and misery. But he just acted like he was some average Joe, so you just followed his lead. And the wheel of life turned.

Zabuza himself wasn't sure what to think of himself. Ever since that first round of punks had tried attacked him, he'd been having flashbacks. He knew they were his memories because…well, he knew. There were terrible things pictured in them, where he had done things far worse than chop up some dead bodies. Then there was the one… he had to have been a kid when he had done it, he knew that. But still, the amount of "other" kids he had seen…he had to have killed all of them. There were at least thirty, and he was just a kid himself. What kind of person was he? Apart from flashes, all he knew about his life was his name. No, he knew another name…

"Who are you Haku? And…who am I?"

"You sure this the right place, Keiichi?"

"Yes, Naohiro. That piece of trash Otokito was very certain he lived here, the capital "city" of Kimura. Now let's find this bitch and end him."

"Are you, are you sure this is okay?"

"Man, Saburō, you're still worried? Look, almost all Soul Reapers do this stuff. I know you're know your new, but seriously, get over yourself. You need a much stronger spine if you want to keep being a Soul Reaper, especially with Unohana-taicho in charge. She's ruthless man, and if you don't grow a pair soon, she'll probably kill you herself."

"O-okay. If you're sure. Let's just get it over with." The trio of Soul Reapers prowled the streets, looking for any sign of someone who matched the given description, or the address they had been told.

"Oi, Keiichi, isn't that the place?

"It is indeed, Naohiro. Now let's go pay a visit to "The Butcher." The three filed into the shop one by one, not sure exactly what to expect.

"Hello, and welcome to-, ah, Soul Reapers. You lot are the first I've actually seen. What can I do for you?" Keiichi looked at the butcher before him. Did he look intimidating? Fairly, but that much blood could do that to anyone. All in all, he wasn't that impressed.

"Are you Zabuza Momochi? The one they call "The Butcher?"

"…Yes, I am. Is this about my recent methods of self-defense? I'm pretty new, so I didn't know if that was actually a crime or not."

"So you admit that you killed upwards of one hundred civilians, and then proceeded to cut their corpses at joints, separating them into fourteen pieces?"

"Yes, I did that in defense of myself and my property."

"Well sir, I must inform you that these are criminal actions, and is punishable by death under the laws set by the Central 46. I will be forced to carry out this execution myself." At that, Zabuza seemed quite.

"What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Keiichi Wakahisa, and I assure you that I am older than you."

"Hm. Got any family?"

"As a matter fact I don't. Now do you have any last words, or should I just kill you now?"

"It just so happens I do have some final words for you. How should I phrase it? I think I'll say…" In a flash of movement, Zabuza managed to grab his cleaver and quickly buried into the chest of the Soul Reaper to the left of the first one. "I'm sorry I'll outlive you."

Keiichi barely managed to get his sword up quick enough to block Zabuza's second strike. _This guy…he's easily fast as most Soul Reapers. Hell, he'd probably be seated, and he hasn't even gotten out of his nascent phase. He really is a monster_. Zabuza was quick, but Keiichi was a Soul Reaper. Keiichi managed to use his slightly superior speed to recover from his early surprise, but he seemed unable to actually put him on the defensive. _He's…he's actually stronger than me!_ And it was true: Zabuza's strikes made Keiichi's sword and arm quake when they struck. Also, whether or not Keiichi knew it, Zabuza had was superior in experience when it came to outright combat.

"Heh…you're not that bad "Butcher". But I'm a Soul Reaper! You may be good at zanjutsu, but I also have kido and shunpo! You don't-" There was a break in Keiichi's speech, initially because he had flash stepped behind Zabuza, but this break was perpetuated by a well-placed elbow from Zabuza directly into Keiichi's face. Knocked to the ground, Keiichi was again forced to force his body to block fast enough. "How…how did you do that? There's no way you should have seen that coming, and even if you did, there's no way you should be that fast."

"I guess I'm faster than I seem." In reality, Zabuza had no idea how he had moved that fast, or even why he had moved at all. He had simply felt that he needed to throw an elbow behind him. "Your fancy tricks won't work. All they mean is that I'll have to try a bit harder."

"Hm. Seems you can't sense everything."

"What are you talking abou-"

That was when Saburō plunged his zanpakutō through Zabuza's back.

"I can't believe you had it in you, Saburō. I thought you were just some pansy who was going to wash out, but you just might make it." Keiichi looked over at the corpse of Naohiro. "Shame about Naohiro though. He's one of the few to realize their Asauchi so far. Well, at least we'll be rich. And with everything that fucker ended up doing, we can probably just sweep his death under the rug. After all, what Central 46 doesn't know won't hurt 'em, eh? You ready to head out, Saburō?"

"Yeah, just…just let me grab my sword." As Saburō turned however, Zabuza got up with a groan. "What? Keiichi, how is he still alive! Keiichi!" With that, Zabuza, having pulled the Asauchi out of his back, slashed Saburō diagonally across the chest.

"So, you're still alive? You've got quite the drive, huh? Just give up. You don't stand a chance." Zabuza answered with a simple roar, charging Keiichi. He opened with an overhead sweep, which Keiichi struggled to block. As they began to enter real combat, Keiichi noticed, with a start, that Zabuza was using actual technique in his strikes. "What, were you a swordsman when you were alive? Just why the fuck are you this strong!? You know what, I don't care you're just some Rukon trash, I'm ending this!" With that, Keiichi flash stepped away from Zabuza. "Rewind the wheel of fate, Seinen Ataenushi!"

The district Kimura had been named after its central village, where Zabuza and Keiichi were currently fighting. As one of the four 80th districts, it was actually fairly new, being only several thousand years old. The central village had been named Kimura after the large tree in the center square. It had grown to be huge, but had begun to die around one thousand years ago. Only the efforts of the villagers had kept it standing. Being on the frontier, the tree had seen plenty of fighting, and occasionally outright war. However, very little compared to the wrath and hatred present in the current fight. The tree looked on with apprehension. Nothing had been like this since…but she was gone. She had left this small place, and it need no longer fear her. But still, the tree felt fear. Not of the Soul Reaper, who had just released his…what were they called? Zanpakutō? Yes, that was it. No. It feared the other one. He felt like death.

"It's over for you now! You can't compete you monster. I'll end you right here!" Keiichi now held a large claymore in place of his katana. "I just released my zanpakutō. With my full power you can't hope to win." Zabuza, however, wasn't listening. He had lost too much blood to listen. However, he had noticed that Keiichi's wounds had begun to heal. "Ah, so you noticed Seinen Ataenushi's power, eh? He heals my wounds and restores my stamina. With him released, I can fight forever!" With this exclamation, Keiichi charged forward, unleashing a lunging strike on Zabuza. Zabuza raised his sword to block, but he wasn't fast enough. Keiichi carved a long slash straight down Zabuza's torso. "Face it. You're just a soul. It's amazing you pushed me this far, but this is the end of the line. No one would blame you if you just gave up…" With that, Zabuza's fluttering eyes snapped open. With a grunt, he once again stood. Right before Keiichi could make another comment about the futility of this action, Zabuza's Reiatsu exploded. In a burst of Reiatsu, he was suddenly wreathed in purple flames of Reiryoku, conjoining into the face of a demon above his head. Already, Keiichi could begin to feel Zabuza's Reiatsu begin to press down on him with massive force. "W-what is this! You…you have the Reiatsu of a lieutenant! How is that possible?" Zabuza said nothing, but he threw his head back, roared and advanced on Keiichi. They began to fight again, now almost perfectly matched. Zabuza had lost almost all of his technique, and simply lashed out with vicious strikes that Keiichi couldn't counter. "Your power is monstrous, but you should just turn back now." Zabuza froze, allowing himself to be knocked back " _You should just turn back now."_ Where had he heard that before? Wait, he was flashing back…

(Flash Back)

"You should not have come, Zabuza. You should just turn back now."

"Bullshit old man! I've surpassed you, and I'm here to claim what's mine! The Kubikiribōchō is mine!"

"I didn't expect you to be this forward, Zabuza. I always knew you were stupid and bloodthirsty, but this is a bit much even for you."

"Fuck you! I have surpassed you, Jūzō Biwa! I will kill you, and I will take your place in the Seven Swordsman."

"You were such a good apprentice, Zabuza. So bloodthirsty, so angry, so talented. But you lack one thing: cruelty. You don't delight in the pain you cause, you try to see the good in it. You don't understand war! You don't understand the primal need to slaughter, and that is why you will lose." Jūzō drew Kubikiribōchō, and pointed it towards Zabuza. "Come. Allow me to rend your flesh and smash your bones. I will torture your weak meat until you beg for death. And then I will keep torturing you. Your screams will be legend, and I may never have another apprentice ever again. But it will be worth it. Come, Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Mist! Let me turn your dreams into broken memories. The pair both struck as they drew their swords, and a metallic clang rang through the air. Jūzō's strikes tended to overpower Zabuza's, but that was more because of Kubikiribōchō than Jūzō's strength. Zabuza was a using a nodachi, and while this gave him an edge of reach and heft against normal swords, the force Kubikiribōchō's swings were without compare. With his normal strategy of overpowering not working, he would have to work his way past his master's guard…

Suddenly, Zabuza's bestial rage seemed to subside, and he began circling Keiichi with his strikes, and his eyes…seemed to be looking for something…

"I didn't realize that you could fight like such a coward, Zabuza. Perhaps Nuibari would be a better fit for you?" At this, Zabuza's eye twitched. "Or, with the way you're running around me, perhaps the Kiba would be a more apt choice?" Zabuza had begun to growl… "But, a coward is really only fit to wield one sword: the Sameha-"

"Don't finish that sentence, old man. It might just be your last."

"I see that your hatred of Fuguki and his apprentice hasn't dulled at all. Why is that? Do you just hate fish Zabuza? I mean, we live by the ocean, so if you do that seems pretty stu-"

"Just shut up!" With this, Zabuza dipped into a crouch and managed to slice Jūzō across his lower abdomen. Wordlessly, Jūzō followed with an abrupt slash downwards with Kubikiribōchō, which Zabuza managed to avoid by rolling into a jump to the right.

"How flexible of you. Are your bones made of cartilage?"

"Stop mocking me!"

"Then push me! Truly fight me! Make me feel alive!" Jūzō suddenly had a burst of strength, his strikes suddenly becoming faster and even stronger. Zabuza struggled to keep up, now fully on the defensive, but Kubikiribōchō continued to make him stagger. _No._ Zabuza mentally pleaded. _Not like this. This is my destiny…to join the Seven Swordsman, to end the Bloody Mist, to bring peace to Water Country, to end the slaughter… I can't die here!_ With a roar, Zabuza was suddenly cloaked in purple flames, and he turned to Jūzō…

 _His sword screamed towards Jūzō…_

… _then it fell to the floor…_

… _and Kubikiribōchō sang through flesh._

(End Flash Back)

The fight between Zabuza and Keiichi had raged hard. Zabuza was covered head to toe in blood, and even with Seinen Ataenushi's power, Keiichi was covered in slashes and panting.

"What kind of power is this? That lets you, some piece of Rukon scum fight me on equal footing, even after releasing? What kind of monster are you?" Zabuza didn't respond. He _couldn't_ respond. All of his effort was in the fight, he couldn't spend an iota on anything else. He just looked up and groaned. What he and Keiichi couldn't see, mainly due to all of the blood, was that Zabuza's wounds were also healing. "I can't afford to keep fighting you. I have to end this. So taste… _Ikusen Sangai!_ " Seinen Ataenushi glowed yellow, and Keiichi released a downward swing at Zabuza via shunpo. Zabuza seemed ready, however, and dodged left, before striking back right. In one blow, Zabuza managed to knock Seinen Ataenushi out of Keiichi's hands. Now incapable of defending himself, Keiichi simply looked stunned as Zabuza raised his stolen Asauchi to the sky…

(Flash Back)

As Zabuza was cloaked in purple flames, he lashed out at Jūzō, who was in the middle of his own strike, and cut off his teacher's hands. As the Kubikiribocho began to fall to the floor, Zabuza released his nodachi, and quickly grabbed the sever sword. Raising it above his head, he began to push his new blade into a downward swing, towards the crown of his master's skull…

(End Flash Back)

The Asauchi in Zabuza's hands was coated with blood, and wrapped in the strange purple Reiatsu pouring off of Zabuza. So, it was not that much of a surprise that although he swung an Asauchi…

It was the Kubikiribōchō that cut through Keiichi Wakahisa's body.

Almost an hour had passed since Zabuza had managed to kill Keiichi, and all he had done since was sit in his shop and stare at a wall. Suddenly, he heard a groan. It seems that the last remaining soul reaper had survived, and was waking up.

"Unnn… Keiichi…did you manage to kill him, Keiichi?"

"If you're asking about that pompous ass in charge of you and that other soul reaper, he's dead. I killed him about an hour ago. Now, what are you going to do about it?" Saburō looked at the tall man, and quickly noticed Zabuza's new sword.

"W-where did you get that? Is that…a zanpakutō?"

"I don't know. That sword you stabbed me with turned into this right before I killed your leader. Do you know why that is?"

"I-it was an Asauchi, made to become a zanpakutō when its bond becomes close enough to its partner, b-but that is supposed to take years! E-even decades sometimes. W-what are you?"

"Apparently a soul reaper. You have to report back, right? And I imagine that basically no one will be okay with me killing two reapers, while critically wounding and stealing the zanpakutō of another. I'll bandage you up before you head out." Saburo looked at Zabuza in shock.

"Y-you're letting me go? Why?"

"For one I don't kill harmless, spineless, cowardly fools. For another, I only kill in defense of myself and others. When I killed that first soul reaper, I had already broken that rule. I had been threatened, but by another, and not very well. I will pay for my actions."

"You didn't seem to be the type to be moral…" Zabuza through his head back into a barking laugh, which ended with a grimace as he wounds erupted in pain.

"I wasn't always brat. But something…changed, I guess. I began to take responsibility for my life." Zabuza walked outside, with Saburō following close behind. When they reached the town center, with the great old tree, Zabuza stopped. He stood in front of it, looking pensive. "When you report back, tell them I'll be waiting here." Zabuza abruptly swung Kubikiribōchō, and with a mighty crash, brought the huge tree down. "Tell them I'll be waiting here in…damn, what's a good name… How about…Zaraki? Yeah, Zaraki. North 80th District Zaraki sounds perfect."

 **AN: Well, after this slightly more...graphic chapter, I changed the rating to M. Don't worry, now that we are mostly out of the Rukongai, there will be a LOT less mutilation and cursing. I won't guarantee that won't ever show up again, but it will not be as often. The reason I included it was to depict 1) The hardness of the Rukongai and 2) As a way of partially addressing Zabuza's screwed up mental state. This will be looked at in a less...brutal way next time.**

 **Next, on the use of Japanese, you may notice some inconsistency. For example, I use all Japanese names for things, but I still use the name soul reaper. Further, while Haku calls Zabuza "Zabuza-sensei" and Keiichi calls Unohana "Unohana-taichou," there are no other honorifics or suffixes. In this fic, I will generally have only captains referred to with the "-taicho" suffix by all soul reapers, while only very polite characters, such as Haku or the Kuichiki/nobles in general will use suffixes with everyone.**

 **The two instances of translation I use are the name of Keiichi's sword and attack:**

 **Seinen Ataenushi- roughly "The giver of the year of birth"**

 **Ikusen Sangai- roughly "One thousand existences in time"**

 **If these translations are way off, please tell me, and if you can provide me with a better way of translating.**

 **Also, please review. Seriously.**

 **Oh, and I don't own Naruto or Bleach. Consider yourself disclaimed.**


	3. On Trial

**Too Great a Second Chance**

 **Chapter 3**

 **On Trial**

 **Wow, it's been awhile since I've updated. I'm sorry for that, I've been pretty busy. I'll try to be a little more consistent in the future. Also, I would like to say again that, from now on, this fic won't be as dark as the last chapter. It might go there some in the future, and it will still be dark, but there won't be as much widespread mutilation.**

 **I don't own Naruto or Bleach, and this makes me sad.**

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The contingent of Soul Reapers marched through the newly christened town of Zaraki. As their procession passed, people spoke in hushed tones and retreated into their houses and the back alleys. At the head of the group was , newly appointed Lieutenant of the 11th division. The man was gruff, and stood at just under six foot without a hair on his head. There was a diagonal scar that started just under his right eye and was drawn to the left side of his chin, crossing his deeply set frown. The Soul Reapers continued their advance, into the center of the town. Where a massive tree had stood for thousands of years in the town's center square, there was now just a low stump, more obviously worn by its years. Set into the stump was an oppressively large sword; not even had seen any other blade of equal size. The huge tip was pressed into the aged wood of the ancient stump, but the sword was still at least six feet long including the handle. Sitting on the stump, his back to both the blade and the Soul Reaper's, was an equally large figure, bedecked in a sleeveless shirt and butchers apron. He turned, and peered around his blade, his brown eyes meeting brown.

"By the order of the Central 46, you have been placed under arrest, Zabuza "The Butcher" Momochi. If you resist, you will be executed on the spot."

"What crime have I committed to warrant you fine gentlemen as an escort?"

"In addition to killing vast numbers of North District 80's inhabitants, you have killed two Soul Reapers and stolen an Asauchi forged by Ōetsu Nimaiya, Captain of the 12th Division of the Gotei Thirteen. These acts brand you as a large threat to the Soul Society. Our presence is due to your apparent strength. You are dangerous, and the Central 46 recognizes this." During speech, Zabuza had stood to fully face the Lieutenant. When the man finished detailing Zabuza's crimes, the former Demon of the Mist stepped forward, towering over the otherwise tall man.

"I can't get out of this, huh? I'm not sure how, but I can feel that you're much stronger than those other shits that tried taking me in. I'll go with you, but," Zabuza paused, looking up for a moment before sighing. "What do you think the punishment will be?"

"That's a bit presumptuous of a bloodthirsty criminal."

"Please. You and most of those behind you are just as bad as me. I can see it in your eyes. You want to fight me, don't you." paused. He stared up into the Zabuza's grim visage, and began his reply.

"All those in the 11th Division, which I am the Lieutenant of, are handpicked by its Captain. Our Captain is obsessed with battle, and only those with a similar bloodlust are chosen to serve in our division. Standing here, seeing the look on your, knowing what you've done… I am sad that you killed two of my divisions more promising members." rapidly drew his sword to Zabuza's throat. "But my personal need to fight the strong is making me deplorably anxious to spill your blood and have you spill mine. You are so similar to me, to my Captain. It is all I can muster not to see which of us beasts is stronger." With blade to his throat, Zabuza seemed to pause… before he burst out laughing.

"If there are many more of you, I might just have to try fighting back later. But for now, justice, apparently, calls." Now, Zabuza's grin, although hidden by a sanitation mask, was easily apparent.

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Even as he was marched to his impending death, Zabuza could not help but admire the Seireitei, the hallowed home of the Soul Reapers. Much of the interior areas were still being constructed, but the huge imposing walls and the court of the Central 46 were most imposing. He was bound around the hands and the neck, the iron collar and cuffs each bound to thick, woven ropes, which he was being led by. stood directly behind him, his right hand never leaving the handle of his zanpakutō. The guards on either side of the courts entrance opened the grand portal, and Zabuza was lead inside. He was lead through dark and twisting passages, until he stood in the dimly lit courtroom, surrounded by the hidden faces of the Central 46 judges. As he was led inside, whispers began to circulate, although there were some louder cries of "monster," obviously directed at him. After reaching the rooms center, he was brought to a halt. walked to his side, blade still ready, and presented Zabuza's name and crimes.

"So," Zabuza began. "Now begins the farce of bureaucracy and fear."

"You will be silent, fool, or this shall only become worse for you. You will be let off once for speaking without being prompted, as you are obviously incapable of comprehending civility, but your words will warrant further punishment." So it was one of these courts, Zabuza thought. From what he could tell, this trial would not be unlike the one he went through after attempting to assassinate the Mizukage. Which meant he would likely be sentenced to execution or life in prison. The court began to argue about how specifically heinous his crimes were, and how they could develop a punishment for so terrible a criminal. Zabuza stood still. Patience was key. At some point, there would be a small slip of relaxation. Some window he could use. All he needed was to remain focused and clear to see it. As a heated argument over how the theft of an Asauchi that was then altered was debated, the doors of the courtroom burst open.

"Hey, everybody! How are you guys holding up?" Filling the doorway was a huge, bald man with a thick, black beard and huge, bright eyes.

"Ichibē Hyōsube, what is the meaning of this interruption? We are in the middle of finishing the creation of multiple laws just to typify the crimes of this criminal? What could possibly possess you to invade our chambers at a time like this?"

"Ah, that's actually what I'm here to see you about. See, Zabu-boyo over there has been claimed for pardon." The room exploded. Zabuza didn't know what was happening, but pardon sounded pretty good right now.

"Claimed for pardon? Impossible. He is nothing but a displaced soul from Kimura-"

"Zaraki."

"Silence! You are on trial, criminal. You have no authority to speak. Now, Captain-Commander Hyōsube, how can this beast possibly be claimed for pardon? He is of no clan, of Soul Reaper tradition or otherwise, and is therefore not subject to the Pardon Draft Law. Just because you feel to pad the ranks of the Gotei with criminal ex-nobles, that does not allow you simply draft anyone you feel."

"This is not my will. This is the will of the head of the Gotei."

"He is not noble! Even you thugs in the Gotei meet at least that standard. The Central 46 will not allow you to recruit non-nobles into the Gotei, or any force of Soul Reapers you may create to serve the Gotei. This is final. This, Captain-Commander, is the will of the Central 46."

"You misunderstand. When I claim this is the will of the head of the Gotei, I do not speak of myself. This is the will of the Soul King. There will be no negotiation or questioning. This is law." After the Captain-Commander finished speaking, the room was silent. The Soul King had personally intervened. This had last happened just over a hundred years ago, when the Soul King had established the founding rules of the Soul Society before ascending into the Royal Realm.

"Surely you are mistaken, Captain-Commander. The Soul King would not-"

"Here is the missive, judge," Ichibē pulled out a closed, black and white scroll. "It fell from the Royal Realm to my chambers this morning. It says the soul known as Zabuza Momochi is to be taken into the Gotei 13 immediately. It further details that he would be here, under trial by the Central 46. This, judge, is nonnegotiable." Ichibē paused, and then turned to Zabuza. "He will be a Soul Reaper." The room was silent. No one moved.

"So, does this mean you can let me out of these restraints now?"

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 **I know this is shorter than the previous chapter, but I'm also going to be updating it more from now on, so you won't have to wait as long for new content. I swear. Really**


	4. Sentencing

**Too Great a Second Chance**

 **Chapter 4**

 **So wow. I feel bad. The original note I had here was about how I didn't wait months to update and how great that was for me and everyone who reads this story. Instead, I ended up losing track of actually finishing the chapter because of life and even more time has passed between this update and the last. I'm really going to try to stop this trend, otherwise you can expect my next update in 2020.**

 **It should be obvious that if I owned either Naruto or Bleach, they would be different.**

For the second time that day, Zabuza was being escorted by Soul Reapers. The main difference was that he was no longer being lead in chains, which was certainly a plus. However, the apparently deranged old man leading the way was not.

"Oh, Zabu-boyo, you don't know what this means! The last decree from the Soul King was that which set up the creation of the Seireitei, which changed the whole of the Soul Society!" The aged man seemed to be doing his best to dance as they walked, and was doing a poor job of it. He was bedecked in the same uniform as the other Soul Reapers, although he also wore a white haori, marked with the number one. Zabuza vaguely recalled a woman wearing the same thing, but he couldn't quite remember exactly… "Oi, Zabu-boyo, are you listening? You were drafted as a Soul Reaper by the Soul King himself! Isn't that cool?"

"Don't call me that. Also, I don't know who that is. Is he the guy in charge of Soul Reapers?"

"Well, Zabu-boyo, I'm in charge of the Soul Reapers. In turn, the Central 46 is in charge of the whole Soul Society, including us. The Soul King is in charge of everybody!" Zabuza nearly fell forward. This man was in charge of the Soul Reapers? Every other Soul Reaper he had met had seemed like a little better than a street thug. So, was this large, bald, childish, friendly but admittedly creepy man just some administrative schmuck…

Or was he just better at appearances than the others he'd seen so far? What if… "Oi, Zabu-boyo! We're here!" The captain-commander and the Soul Reaper entourage had stopped at the entrance to another grand looking building. Or, it would look grand, if not for the fact that most of the outside was covered in construction scaffolding. "I know that the building stuff makes it look less impressive, but it's still cool right? Right?" It took Zabuza about three quarters of a second to realize that this Ichibē was actually waiting for a response. It took him about five more seconds to gargle a response.

"I've never liked palaces. All they are is a way for the corrupt to hide all their bullshit." Ichibē stared at Zabuza, his eyes wide as ever, completely unmoving. No one shifted for a solid thirty seconds. Then, Ichibē burst out laughing.

"Right you are, Zabu-boyo. Lucky for you, we haven't had time to refinish the foundations from the last palace, and so I'll have to disappoint you. We haven't gotten to any bullshit yet." There! In the last sentence. The Soul Reapers smile had changed, from the kindhearted smile of laughter into a smile of insanity Zabuza readily recognized. Not full blown homicidal insanity. Just general, sadistic insanity. Coupled with some knowledge that if they really wanted to, _you would paste before you had a chance to dream of saving yourself_. Damn old men. They needed to be easier to read. "This palace, as you put it, is the new administration building for the Gotei Thirteen. The Soul King only ordered our founding one hundred years ago, and this isn't a huge priority, so none of the decoration has been added. It is but a shell. A mold, if you will, for the bullshit." Another smile. Not the insane smile or even the laughing smile of earlier, but a knowing smile. He liked to joke. Intriguing. "As I said, we're still very much setting things up to fulfill the decree of the Soul King, and so things are a bit...untidy. And you've certainly made things interesting." Ichibē was still smiling, but it seemed slightly more forced, neither as knowing or crazed as his previous smiles. "It was difficult to get the nobles of the Soul Society to get on board with making a bunch of thugs in charge of enforcing the law of the land, but we eventually managed," he said this quietly, and came to a stop. His smile was gone, and it was almost more unnerving than when he bore his crazed grin. "We did so by convincing them that by taking Soul Reapers from noble families, we wouldn't be able to convince all of them to turn on their old families. I the end, they came around and allowed us to set up the Gotei Thirteen, and even helped fund the construction of the Soul Reaper academy. Our ranks are still populated by some pretty rough characters, but they're rough characters the nobles recognize. You, on the other hand, are much different. Not only are you from the Outer Rukongai, you're a soul from the World of the Living. That means you're an unknown. And you have already proven that you're both competent and more than willing to kill. That's the perfect recipe to make them worried."

"But you have to take me in because your boss said so." To this, Ichibē burst out into an uproarious laugh. He continued walking towards the incomplete building now looming over them, and held the door for Zabuza.

"Very True, Zabu-boyo. Now, let's introduce you to your parole officers."

While the outside was still fully obscured by scaffolding, the inside of the Soul Reaper headquarters was certainly impressive. Ichibē had brought him to large, elongated room filled with other Soul Reapers in white haoris. The looks on their faces seemed to mainly be indifference, disgust, or fascination.

"Alright, thanks for coming everyone! This here is Zabuza Momochi, who the Spirit King made sure we picked up. Now, I'm sure some of you have doubts of his character, but I can assure you, he is more than willing to support the Gotei Thirteen."

"Is that right, Ichibē? Did he tell you this while he was dismembering someone, or just caving in their chest cavity?" This was from the rather intimidating figure with a large scar across his forehead and an impressively firm scowl.

"Whoa, Eijisai, you're being a bit judgmental, eh? You and your students aren't exactly known for your kindness. Isn't a bit a hypocritical to judge him so hard?" The contrast between the first speaker and the second was almost comically vast. The gruff gung ho samurai had been rebutted by a man with a large, unkempt hairdo and a pair of reflective sunglasses.

"If you're conflating his crazed massacre in the North Rukongai with the justice I deliver, Nimaiya,"

"Then he would be completely right." The room froze. Zabuza could barely make out the features of the last speaker, because their features were completely obscured by a curtain of long black hair. The black locks slowly turned towards the head of the room, Ichibē, and revealed a woman with a thin face and sullen eyes. "From what I understand, he also only killed criminals, and had the decency not to bleed the surrounding towns dry. In that way, he was almost more just than you and your goons. Sorry, students."

"Yachiru," Eijisai ground through his teeth. "You dare lecture me on justice? You, who would rather kill someone than acknowledge their existence? You, whose subordinates are ultimately responsible for this mess? You dare call my students goons while yours kill without discretion?" His voice slowly grew in between his questions until he was nearly roaring.

"Bwahahaha!" Eijisai's anger was drowned out by Ichibē's crazed laughter. "Oh, you're such boisterous comrades, eh? Just don't get too lively or I'll have to quiet things down." Ichibē's maniacal grin had returned, and the clashing rage in the air was quickly reigned in. "Now, on a more direct note, Zabu-boyo needs to join a squad. Now, is there anyone besides Captains Unohana or Yamamoto who'd like to take him in?" Yachiru and Eijisai, who Zabuza assumed were Unohana and Yamamoto, immediately gave Ichibē a death glare, both of which were returned with a gleeful smirk.

"Well, I suppose if someone needs to reign the poor bastard in, I'm certainly willing to," came a voice from Ichibē's right. The man who had spoken had dark skin, startling golden eyes, and slicked back hair accompanied by a neat beard.

"Well then, I see no problems with putting Zabu-boyo in Squad Two. Is there anyone who does object to Captain Shihōin?"


End file.
